What caught my eye this week.
The Christmas break seems to be whizzing by even faster than usual this year. Perhaps it’s the cliché of time speeding up as you get older? Or maybe there’s just too much going on these days for us to ever slow down.
Forty years ago I’d go through our copy of the Radio Times with a pencil, circling my can’t-miss but must-wait-for TV shows and movies with patient delight. Of course nostalgia looms large – I’m sure I’d feel frustrated within hours if teleported back to 1985 and made to wait for the library to open to conduct even the most trivial factcheck – but at least yesteryear’s enforced boredom seemed to bend spacetime a little, like a track athlete forced to take the slower route on the tardier outside lane.
It’s impossible for an info-junkie like me to get bored in today’s always-on era, which seems like a good thing. But it’s also hard to switch off. And I’m far from the worst I know.
At least I sleep with my iPhone in another room and I have it permanently on silent mode. I don’t conduct Whatsapp chat conferences under the blankets. I’m well-adjusted!
Little link list
One benefit of me slinking away from family and friends to unfold my laptop is I do have some links for you. So if you’ve had enough of Christmas jingles, pistachios, panettones, and your in-laws, then the next 30 minutes of investing nerd-outery is for you.
We’ll be back again on Saturday 3 January. Until then I’ll wish you a great weekend and a Happy New Year. May your index funds track with minimal error, your letters from HMRC contain only positive surprises, and any ill-advised punts pay-off just enough to be fun – but not enough to encourage you to see any unwarranted portents of skill.
From Monevator
From the archive-ator: How to be a 5:2 investor – Monevator
News
Government waters down inheritance tax plans for farms – BBC
UK spring budget date revealed: 3 March – Sky
Boxing Day shopping falls flat – BBC
ONS confirms UK economic slowdown in third quarter – Yahoo Finance
Cultural works becoming public domain in 2026 include Betty Boo and Nancy Drew – NPR
Britons are less well-off than they were in 2019 – Sky
Products and services
Disclosure: Links to platforms may be affiliate links, where we may earn a commission. This article is not personal financial advice. When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. With commission-free brokers other fees may apply. See terms and fees. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
Exploring 95% mortgages – This Is Money
Are you making the most of your banking perks? – Which
Get up to £3,000 cashback when you open or switch to an Interactive Investor SIPP. Terms and fees apply, affiliate link. – Interactive Investor
Safest ways to shop in the sales – Which
Why is it so expensive to extend a short lease on a flat? – This Is Money
Get up to £1,500 cashback when you transfer your cash and/or investments to Charles Stanley Direct through this affiliate link. Terms apply – Charles Stanley
TV streaming at turning point as viewers opt for ads – Guardian
American Express Platinum review – Be Clever With Your Cash
Dream homes for sale, in pictures – Guardian
Comment and opinion
Which genius from history would have been the best investor? – FT
The risk you aren’t thinking about – Of Dollars and Data
How rational is Britons’ soft spot for premium bonds? [Paywall] – The Economist
The quest of the simple life – Morgan Housel via Collab Fund
Six things landlords need to know for 2026 and beyond – Which
Nine proven ways to boost your happiness in retirement – The Retirement Manifesto
Evidence-based gift giving – Klement on Investing
Returns don’t lie. People do [On IRRs in private equity] – Robert’s Substack
US tech valuations mini-special
One reason to be bearish on tech stocks… – Morningstar
…but beware of Maslow’s Hammer – Chart Kid Matt
Naughty corner: Active antics
Five investing themes from Warren Buffett’s early letters – Morningstar
The search for market wisdom – Flyover Stocks
The 30-year treasury bond is the surprise asset of the year – Reuters
Investors warn of ‘rot in private equity’ as funds strike circular deals – NYT [h/t Abnormal Returns]
Kindle book bargains
Chokepoints: How Economic Warfare is Changing the World by Edward Fishman – £1.99 on Kindle
The Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom – £0.99 on Kindle
Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk by Annie Duke – £0.99 on Kindle
The End of Reality by Jonathan Taplin – £0.99 on Kindle
Or pick up one of the all-time great investing classics – Monevator shop
Environmental factors
Met Office: 2025 set to be the UK’s hottest year on record – Sky
US pauses offshore wind projects over security concerns – BBC
Robot overlord roundup
Thoughts on AI progress – Dwarkesh Patel
Are doctors replaceable? – Aeon
The AI bubble is all over now, baby blue – Gary Marcus
How AI is taking us back to the dark ages – Guardian
Not at the dinner table
MAGA’s manly policies have undermined jobs in manufacturing – Paul Krugman
Trump unveils ‘golden fleet’ battleships named after himself – BBC
The United States of Shame – Roger Lowenstein
Inside the ‘industrial-scale’ Trump pardon machine [Paywall] – FT
Off our beat
Major incident declared over giant hole in Shropshire canal – BBC
What happened when one writer began to speak Welsh – The Yale Review
On walking – The Sun
The return of the weirdo – The Honest Broker
Beating loneliness by bridging the generation gap – BBC
The obligation to beauty – Palladium Magazine
Did Las Vegas get too greedy? – Silver Bulletin
And finally…
“I love the concept of mental liquidity. It’s the ability to quickly abandon previous beliefs and strategies when the world changes, you change, or when you come across new information.”
– Morgan Housel, The Art of Spending Money
Like these links? Subscribe to get them every Saturday. Note this article includes affiliate links, such as from Amazon and Interactive Investor.
